1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a battery pack and a method of controlling the battery pack.
2. Description of the Related Art
Secondary batteries (e.g., rechargeable batteries) are actively researched due to development of portable electronic devices, such as cellular phones, notebook computers, camcorders, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Some secondary batteries are fabricated as a battery pack including a battery and a charging/discharging circuit, and the battery is respectively charged or discharged by an external power source or an external load via an external terminal of the battery pack. That is, when the battery pack is coupled to the external power source via the external terminal, the battery is charged by power from the external power source, the power being supplied via the external terminal and a charging/discharging circuit. In addition, when an external load is coupled to the battery pack via the external terminal, electric power of the battery is supplied to the external load via the charging/discharging circuit and the external terminal, and a discharging operation occurs. Here, the charging/discharging circuit between the external terminal and the battery controls the charging/discharging of the battery.
In general, the battery is charged with a maximum charging current until a voltage of the battery reaches a predetermined voltage, and then, the charging current is gradually reduced thereafter.